LOS ANGELES, CA - Abhi Nemani, who has worked for Google and is the co-founder of a non-profit called Code for America, has been chosen to be the first Chief Data Officer of the city of Los Angeles. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti hired Nemani, 25, to collaborate with city departments to collect and analyze data and oversee operations of L.A.’s new open-data portal, reported L.A.Biz. Nemani will also...

“create tools to use data that will help solve everyday challenges for our residents,” Garcetti said in a statement. Garcetti launched the open-data portal on May 31 with stats ranging from city payroll info, LAPD crime and collision data, and water use by zipcode. The site is part of a larger initiative announced in December to make publicly available raw data accessible and easy to find for residents, said the report.Nemani served as co-executive director for Code for America, a nonprofit that helps communities and governments use technology to solve problems. “Data has the power to transform the daily lives of L.A. residents and visitors,” Nemani told LA Biz. “Knowing where your money is going, where a parking space is available, and where an event is taking place puts information into the hands of those who need it most. Mayor Garcetti is committed to opening city data for innovators and users everywhere, and I’m thrilled to join his team to help him get there.”Nemani told NBCLA said he wants to use the website to make a more effective government in Los Angeles. “Oftentimes the city or communities have the data,” Nemani said. “What’s needed is leadership to bring data and technology together effectively.” The NBC report pointed out that other cities have used data to help citizens, including Chicago, where a government-sponsored application gave residents the location of the nearest free flu shot to stave off the seasonal disease; and New York, where a group of number-crunchers devised a way to use massive amounts of property and inspection data to determine what properties in the city were most at risk of fires and other problems. “I was always kind of the nerd in the room,” Nemani told NBC. “I found that the beauty of the Internet was that complex things could actually be made simple if you had the right tools.”